|
 The defense is doing its part, too.
Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and
the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the
Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday
night.
"We're rolling and we can't stop," said Cameron Jordan, who led the
way as New Orleans sacked Atlanta's Matt Ryan five times. "We've got
to get better."
Brees threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham and a 1-yarder
to Benjamin Waton, giving the first-place Saints (9-2) a sweep of
the season series with their NFC South rivals.
Atlanta (2-9) dropped its fifth straight game, clinched its first
losing season since 2007 and was officially eliminated from the
division race with five weeks remaining.
The Falcons had a chance to pull off the upset, driving to the
Saints 29 with less than 3 minutes to go. But New Orleans turned up
the pressure on Ryan, Atlanta missed a long field goal, and the
Saints ran off all but the last 5 seconds.
New Orleans also forced a crucial fumble early in the fourth
quarter. Keyunta Dawson stripped the ball from Falcons rookie
receiver Darius Johnson, and Corey White fell on it at the Saints
13.
"We knew coming here was going to be a challenge," Saints coach Sean
Payton said. "The two teams, the history, regardless of the record
it has always been a close game, and tonight was no exception."
The Georgia Dome rocked with chants of "Who Dat! Who Dat!" as the
final seconds ticked off the clock, the Saints ensuring they will
remain alone atop the NFC South and just one game behind Seattle for
home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. New Orleans will
face the Seahawks on Dec. 2 in what shapes up as one of the biggest
games of the year.
"The identity of the team is still developing," said Jordan, who was
credited with 2½ sacks.
The Falcons had hoped to salvage a bit of pride in this lost season,
driving from their own 9 — actually, the 3 after Ryan was sacked —
to the Saints 29. But Ryan was sacked again by Jordan and hurried
into a pair of incompletions. As the crowd groaned, the Falcons
surprisingly sent on Matt Bryant to attempt a 52-yard field goal.
He knocked one through, but the Saints called timeout just before
the snap. His next try sailed wide of the left upright.
Brees and the offense took it from there, assuring Atlanta had time
for only one desperate play at the end.
"We responded to momentum changes and some adversity in the football
game," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "But it was still not good
enough. If you don't win, it's not good enough."
[to top of second column] |
Brees was 23 of 33 for 278 yards. Ryan was 30 of
39 for 297 yards, but Atlanta's offense produced only one
touchdown — the fourth time that has happened during its current
skid.
The Falcons, who had been outscored 135-61 over their previous
four games, put together an impressive drive on their opening
possession. Steven Jackson carried it five times for 24 yards,
the last of them a dive into the end zone on third-and-goal at
the Saints 1 to give Atlanta its first lead in nearly a month.
The Falcons had gone nearly 15 quarters — almost four full games
— since being up 3-0 over Arizona early in Week 8.
The advantage didn't last long. Brees guided a 15-play, 78-yard
drive in which the Saints converted five straight times on third
down, including Watson's leaping catch in the back of the end
zone.
Bryant put the Falcons back ahead with the first of his two
field goals, a 39-yarder early in the second quarter, but New
Orleans grabbed the lead for good when Graham slipped behind the
secondary and hauled in his long touchdown.
He celebrated by dunking over the goalpost and hung on the
crossbar for extra emphasis, and ended up bending the post. As
the Saints lined up to attempt the extra point, the officials
noticed the crooked uprights, leading to a brief delay as a
worker came out with a ladder to straighten the bar.
The Falcons got in position to recapture the lead, driving to
the New Orleans 10. On third-and-goal, Ryan couldn't find an
open receiver and took off running, briefly spotting a path to
the end zone. But the Saints closed in quickly, prompting Ryan
to slide down at the 6 rather than risk an injury. Some Atlanta
fans booed as Matty Ice trotted off the field. Atlanta settled
for another field goal from 24 yards and trailed 14-13 at the
half.
The Falcons got no closer.
The only points of the second half came on Garrett Hartley's
41-yard field goal.
NOTES: Graham had five receptions for 100 yards. ... Saints DE
Akiem Hicks had 1½ sacks. ... Falcons CB Desmond Trufant went
out in the first half with a thigh injury, but returned to the
game after halftime. ... Jackson had 63 yards on 16 carries for
Atlanta.
___
AP NFL website:
http://pro32.ap.org/
[Associated
Press; PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Writer]
Follow Paul Newberry on
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